Construction machines, such as a motor grader or crawler, may operate in a conventional operating mode where engine load is used to simultaneously vary engine speed via an engine's throttle setting. The machine's transmission may be operably controlled by varying transmission speed ratio in combination with engine speed to achieve desired operational settings. Conventional operating modes may be used when a machine is performing a work function, such as a grading, digging, or other work function. When the machine is not performing a work function, however, it may be desirable to switch to a different operating mode to achieve better fuel efficiency.
In this disclosure, embodiments are presented for operably controlling a work machine between a plurality of operating modes to achieve improved fuel efficiency under predefined operating conditions.